Slovakia: Streamlined In-Country Status Change Proposed, Among Other Changes

The Slovak government is proposing to allow foreign nationals to stay in Slovakia based on a pending temporary residence permit application, which would make it much easier for visa-exempt nationals to change status to work authorized in country. Currently, these individuals must have sufficient remaining allowable stay on their visa-exempt passport to cover their stay from the date of arrival in the Schengen area until permit approval, making in-country status change challenging in practice. Visa nationals would still be required to await approval abroad. The legislative proposal would also introduce stricter review for self-employment renewal and for employees changing their status to self-employed, to combat reported misuse of the self-employment permit. The proposal would also formalize online filing options and implement stricter border checks, among other changes. It is not yet clear whether the proposal would be adopted by parliament in its current form. If approved, the proposed measures are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2023.